50 Facts About Sam Vimes

Sam Vimes's Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

Sam Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and a film noir-esque grizzled detective.

Sam Vimes is the Commander of the City Watch, the burgeoning police force of the Discworld's largest city, Ankh-Morpork.

Sam Vimes's rise from drunk policeman to respected member of the aristocracy, and the simultaneous growth and development of the Watch under his command, have together been one of the major threads of the Discworld series.

Sam Vimes is married to Sybil Ramkin, the richest woman in the city.

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Sam Vimes was born in Cockbill Street as the son of Thomas Vimes, in the Rimwards part of the Shades, the poorest area of Ankh-Morpork.

Sam Vimes was educated at a dame school, where he was once blackboard monitor for a whole term, before he had to drop out and concentrate on learning about life out on the streets.

Sam Vimes's died about twenty years after the events of Night Watch, or about ten years prior to the "present-day" events in that novel, and is buried in the city's Small Gods Cemetery.

In Night Watch Sam Vimes remembers that his mother made 'the very best' Distressed Pudding.

Sam Vimes family has historically been closely linked with the City Watch, with many members serving in it through its history.

For three centuries afterwards, the memory of "Old Stoneface" has lived on in infamy and, as his descendant, Sam Vimes has frequently endured suspicious mutterings from the aristocracy.

Sam Vimes is implied to heavily resemble his ancestor and they share a nickname: Old Stoneface.

The Annotated Pratchett File notes that Suffer-Not-Injustice Sam Vimes is closely modelled on Oliver Cromwell, and that the name of his supporters, the Ironheads, is a portmanteau of Ironsides and Roundheads, Cromwell's regiment and faction, respectively.

Sam Vimes was part of that section of the Watch which played a large role in the rebellion against Homicidal Lord Winder.

Sam Vimes was transported back in time in the company of a criminal named Carcer, whom he was trying to apprehend.

Carcer robbed and killed the real John Keel, and Sam Vimes had to replace him in order for his role in history to be fulfilled.

Sam Vimes' age is never explicitly given, and information is not always consistent.

Night Watch states that Sam Vimes was sixteen years old when he joined the City Watch.

The main events of Night Watch, set only a few weeks after Vimes joined the Watch, are stated as occurring more than thirty years prior to the present from which Vimes came, this makes Samuel Vimes at least 46 years old at the time of the events of that book.

When Sam Vimes discusses his time as a blackboard monitor, he thinks about it being "more than 45 years ago" and that he was six years old at the time, putting his age at least 51 years; this is confirmed when he refers to the new vampire officer, age given as 51, as being "not that much younger than him".

Sam Vimes, who was about to retire following his marriage to Lady Sybil, was given the resurrected rank of Commander, putting him in charge of the Night Watch and the Day Watch.

Sam Vimes took a great interest in the restructuring of the Watch, placing new Watch Houses where they were needed and supervising the creation of both a Watch Academy and a forensics section.

The Patrician observes that Sam Vimes is anti-authoritarian even though he is, himself, an authority figure, which is "practically Zen".

The conflict within Sam Vimes is between his virtuous nature and what he calls "the Beast".

Sam Vimes has once been described as a speciesist, though this habit slowly dies away; most of his officers rationalize this bias as simply not being particularly fond of anyone.

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Sam Vimes explained to Lady Margolotta in The Fifth Elephant, this is because, teetotal or not, 'a vampire will always seek to dominate a human being'.

Sam Vimes personally makes sure that all of the brickwork is kept in good repair, with no convenient handholds.

Sam Vimes was made aware of this by a young female student from the guild, who had been tasked with merely getting a glimpse of Sam Vimes at his home .

Sam Vimes gave up alcohol after his marriage to Sybil, and now smokes foul-smelling cigars instead.

Sam Vimes still keeps an unopened bottle of 'Bearhugger's Whisky' in his bottom desk drawer as a 'permanent test'.

Sam Vimes often has to go to report to Lord Vetinari, although most of the time he keeps a poker-face and answers very simply to avoid Vetinari's probing questions.

Sometimes this darker side comes out when Sam Vimes loses control of his anger and he effectively 'goes spare'.

Sam Vimes is an effective and brutal hand-to-hand fighter, who specialises in "dirty fighting".

Death himself is unsure whether Sam Vimes should die or not in these cases, citing "quantum" as an explanation.

At one point Death notes that if Sam Vimes is having a 'near-Death' experience, Death is forced to have a 'near Sam Vimes' experience .

On rare occasions, Sam Vimes has been described as completely happy, even if it's only for a brief period; such occasions include alone time with his wife, the birth of his son, and whenever a case has reached a satisfactory conclusion.

Lady Sybil Sam Vimes, is Sam Vimes's wife, whom he married at the end of Men at Arms.

Sam Vimes's was born into the wealthiest family in Ankh-Morpork and resides in the most select part of Ankh, Scoone Avenue.

Sybil bears this divided loyalty with some grace; nearly every Watch novel concludes with Sam Vimes making some form of amends to his neglected wife, either a delayed honeymoon, or simply time alone with their new baby.

Sam Vimes is somewhat baffled by the overtures, but as he is already used to an imperfect lifestyle, he is generally appreciative of the sentiment.

Sam Vimes once conjectured that if they so conspired, they could run the world, if they don't already do so.

Sybil tries her utmost to get Sam Vimes to take some time off in almost every book, but for the most part, Sam Vimes finds an excuse to stay on the job.

In Snuff, Sybil forces Sam Vimes to take a vacation to their countryside estate, Crundells.

Sam Vimes now finds himself in the awkward position of continuing to despise the ruling classes of the city while actually being a member of them.

Sam Vimes's birth was difficult, and Vimes paid Doctor "Mossy" Lawn a large sum of money in gratitude for saving Sybil's and the baby's lives.

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In Snuff, it is highlighted that not only can Young Sam Vimes read, but that he is quite advanced and now reads to his father.

Terry Pratchett commented that the Sam Vimes character made setting a story in Ankh-Morpork very difficult as it is almost impossible to create a story involving any sort of crime or politics without it rapidly becoming a Watch book.

Sam Vimes is mentioned, although not by name, in The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.

Sam Vimes is played by Richard Dormer in the live-action television series The Watch, "inspired by Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' novels", rather than being a straight adaptation of specific stories.

Sam Vimes was played by Paul Darrow, best known for his role in Blake's 7.